Senator Grace Poe is calling on her fellow legislators to throw their support on a legislative measure seeking to provide free nutri-meals to public school students in an effort to address malnutrition among schoolchildren and help them achieve a better future.

Under the consolidated feeding program bill
recently sponsored in the Senate floor, which included Poe's pet measure Senate
Bill No. 160, K-12 students will benefit from the program.

"I highly encourage my colleagues to approve this important piece of legislation at the soonest," said Poe, as the Senate is expected to tackle the bill when session resumes in January from the holiday break.

Poe, an advocate of children's welfare who has
been pushing for the feeding program since she ran for public office in 2013,
issued the statement after Senate Bill No. 1279 hurdled the Senate committee on
education, arts and culture chaired by Sen. Bam Aquino.

Under the bill, initial funding of P10 billion to be sourced from Pagcor, PCSO and the President's Social Fund will be earmarked for some 420,000 public schools in the country.

Meanwhile, as the measure awaits Congress'
approval, Poe with colleagues, vigorously pushed for the inclusion of additional
P1 billion in the budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development to
feed 1.74 million children next year. This was included in the 2017 General
Appropriations Act awaiting the President's signature.

Poe said child poverty is among the huge
challenges the country is facing and as such, an in-school feeding program is
necessary to prepare children for a better future.

In an annual Christmas tradition observed by the senator, she led a feeding program and gift-giving in Brgy. Masambong, Quezon City on Dec. 19 for about 500 children who received FPJ bags with school supplies and goodies.